AUSTRALIAN businesses have high hopes for the government's National Broadband Network, a survey of more than 500 enterprises has found.
More than half of all respondents said a high-speed fibre network would make them more competitive and increase their markets and geographic reach.
The study, commissioned by Macquarie Telecom and conducted by Access Economics, covered 17 industries and businesses with a combined 300,000 employees.
More than half of those surveyed said they expected to extend their customer reach from consumer-only or business-only to include both.
Fifty per cent of the respondents said the NBN was likely to enable them to offer new products and services.
However, the report cast doubt on government claims that the NBN would revolutionise teleworking, with only 20 per cent of respondents saying they saw the ability to offer a different employment model as a likely benefit of the new network.
Most of the 540 respondents were small to medium-sized businesses, with 44 per cent having fewer than five employees and 38 per cent turnover of less than $5 million.
Many did not receive broadband services over fibre connections, in contrast with most large companies in big cities.
Macquarie Telecom managing director David Tudehope hailed the survey, despite admitting that the NBN would build over some of the telco's existing assets.
"Macquarie, like any telco, has existing assets, some of which will have a life beyond the NBN and others will be replaced by the NBN commercially," Mr Tudehope said.
"But we are quite comfortable at the end of the day that there are swings and roundabouts.
"Realistically, you can't have this sort of step-change investment in the country without the reality that some investments will not be of value going forward."
